"No matter if we are. We must be ready for that; but we will be jolly while we have things our own way."
"It's no use to talk about it yet," added Wilton, with a yawn, for the wild scheme seemed so far off to him that he could not enter into the spirit of it yet.
"It won't be more than a week or ten days before we shall be ready to make a strike. You know we must all cut up so as to be left on board."
"Yes, and some one will be left on board with us, just as it happened at Cowes."
"It won't be Fluxion, anyhow; for he has been transferred to the Josephine, and we can come it over any other of the professors. However, we must feel our way, and the first thing we have to do is to get left on board."
"Humph! That's easy enough," said Wilton, who had never found any difficulty in being left behind, or in being condemned to the brig.
"We must make a sure thing of it next time; but it won't do to run away with a boat again. Hush up! There comes that old stick-in-the-mud from the Josephine," added Perth, lowering his voice to a whisper.
The gentleman thus discourteously alluded to was Mr. Hamblin,who had climbed upon the topgallant forecastle for the purpose of obtaining a view of the region through which the vessel was passing. As the two boys were far out on the bowsprit, over the water, he did not venture to approach any nearer to them; yet the excessive prudence which the Knights practised required them to keep silence whenever there was a possibility that a word might be overheard by the uninitiated.
"I wish he would come up here," whispered Wilton, from the corner of his mouth.
"Why?"